The Ultimate Guide To Twitter Parties

A Twitter party is a fun-filled hour where people get together to chat about a common topic. They can be intimidating for the uninitiated, so we've created a short guide with everything you need to know!

A Twitter party is a fun-filled hour where people get together to chat about a common topic. Think of it as a town hall meeting, a conference or a club night, except it all takes place online. They can be intimidating for the uninitiated, so we’ve created a short guide with everything you need to know!

#Hashtags

Thanks to the Twitter social network, a large group of people can join the same conversation through hashtags. As long as you’re using a certain hashtag in your tweets, you’re part of that conversation. Hashtags even extend to other social networks including Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. Hashtags are simply a word or phrase preceded by the pound sign. An example would be:

#BakingSodaUses – A conversation about the hundreds of uses for baking soda in cooking, cleaning, deodorizing and personal care. (That was a fun party we hosted!)

Why Should I Attend a Party?

There are so many reasons why you should get involved in Twitter parties:

They’re fun! Who doesn’t love a good party?

You might learn something. People get together at Twitter parties to talk about a certain topic. Everyone is sharing his or her stories, tips and advice. Share your experience and learn from others—it’s always good to talk to others and get a fresh perspective!

You can make friends. The people who attend Twitter parties are a friendly bunch. Expand your social circle by meeting Smiley360 members from all over the country.

Interact with a brand. Smiley360 Twitter parties are usually sponsored by brands. It’s your chance to get some one-on-one interaction with the makers of some of the most well-known products in the USA! What have you always wanted to ask the makers of your favorite products?

It’s easy! Though it can be daunting at first, Twitter parties have a short learning curve. Once you have the hang of it, you can jump into a party at a moment’s notice. And if you have a smartphone, you can party from anywhere!

Win prizes. We give away some serious prizes throughout our Twitter parties. To win, all you need to do is show up at the scheduled time, answer our questions, interact with others and have fun. Walking away with a prize is an added bonus!

Why Do Brands Sponsor Twitter Parties?

We’ve piqued your interest—Twitter parties are starting to sound really great, aren’t they? And now you’re wondering, “What’s the catch?” Surely the brand doesn’t do this for nothing. Here’s what the brand gets out of a Twitter party:

They can meet their fans. In the same way you want to interact with a brand, they want to interact with you. They love to get to know the people who buy their products.

Create new fans. Twitter parties take place on a public platform—the Twitter feed. If you’re sharing a great experience you’ve had with a product, well, someone you know might just take note and follow the brand, too.

Get feedback on their products. By having this interaction with consumers, brands get to hear feedback from the people who matter most.

Offer rewards. Twitter parties give brands the opportunity to get the word out about their coupons, free sample offers and big prizes!

How To Party On Twitter

A Twitter party can be confusing for beginners. That’s why this guide exists! Let’s break it down step by step:

Log on to Twitter on the day and time the party is occurring (remember, parties are nationwide so make sure you’re looking at the correct time zone!)

Follow the party host and sponsors

Introduce yourself and answer the questions tweeted by the host throughout the party hour

Search for the party’s #Hashtag and see what others are tweeting. Respond to others tweets and start a conversation!

Stay tuned to the host’s tweets for prize-winner announcements. Be gracious—congratulate the winners!

Absolutely stuck? Send a tweet to any of the party moderators who are mentioned at the beginning of the party. They are there to help you!

The best way to learn? Just dive right in, ask for help if you need it, and you’ll learn fast.

Tools You Can Use

You can party directly from Twitter.com, but other options do exist! Certain tools have been built to make it easier to join a Twitter party. Here’s what we recommend:

Twitter Mobile App

If there’s a party you want to attend, but you’re not near a computer, just use your phone! The Twitter mobile app has all the functionality of Twitter, right there in your pocket or purse.

Try your hand at any of these tools and decide which one is right for you.

Examples

We can go on and on about Twitter parties, but what good is all this theory without showing any real-world examples? Here’s a look at some of the Twitter parties we’ve hosted:

#SlowKettle – Sponsored by Campbell’s Slow Kettle Style Soups

In March 2013, while the cold weather still lingered, we warmed up with the #SlowKettle Twitter party. We talked all about slowing down and savoring the moment and gave away gift cards and comfy socks! It was a great way to feel warm on a cold Wednesday afternoon.

#AdvilAllergy – Sponsored by Advil Allergy & Congestion Relief

Allergies are nobody’s friend. In the midst of summer allergy season, we hosted the #AdvilAllergy Twitter party. Allergy sufferers from all over the country got together to share stories, chat about symptoms and learn tips for surviving allergy season.

#BakingSodaUses – Sponsored by Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

There are hundreds of uses for baking soda, from home cleaning to personal care and deodorization, and for use in the kitchen. We shared tips on how to use baking soda in all these different ways, and everyone walked away learning something new.

Twitter Party Tips

Now that you have the basics down, here are some reminders and best practices for how you can get the most out of a Twitter party:

Show your face! Make sure you’ve uploaded a photo on your Twitter profile so everyone can see that they’re interacting with a human and not a robot. If you’re camera shy, upload a photo of something that represents you. Anything is better than the dreaded Twitter egg!

Use the hashtag. Remember to include the hashtag in all your party tweets. That’s how you know that your tweets are being seen!

Follow the party hosts. Follow @Smiley360 and any brands or special guests at the party. This way you won’t miss their tweets.

Don’t mention us! Save characters by not mentioning @Smiley360 in your tweets. There’s no need, because as long as you use the party hashtag, we will see your tweets!

Give your followers a heads-up. If you’re about to join a party, let your followers know that they’re about to see a lot of tweets from you. Encourage them to join the party too!

RSVP. We don’t mind if you show up unannounced, but if you RSVP to our party you’re eligible to win the RSVP prize!

Don’t freak out. Parties move fast and there’s no way you could read every tweet. Just get involved, interact and have fun.

Don’t be shy. Just like a real-life party, if you stand against the wall you probably won’t enjoy it.

Share the love. If you see a tweet you like, retweet it to show your support.

Congratulate the winner. We announce the lucky winners throughout the party. Be gracious and congratulate the prize winners!

Be nice. Be nice to your fellow partygoers and they’ll be nice to you in return. That should be a rule for life, no?

The after-party. Once the party is over, check your Twitter notifications to see who replied and retweeted you. You might have missed something so be sure to check here, follow new friends, continue the conversation and keep the party going!

For Beginners

Are you absolutely new to Twitter and not quite sure where to start? Follow these steps:

Follow Smiley360 here, and keep our Twitter page open so you don’t miss the questions!

Tweet your answers to each question using A1, A2, A3, etc.

Always use the party #hashtag!

Ask the moderators if you have any questions—it’s what they’re there for!

If this is your first party, you might feel more comfortable just lurking and seeing what it’s like.

Glossary

Twitter parties are a lot easier if you know the lingo. You might see these terms being thrown around:

RSVP. This is a tweet to tell the world about the party you’re attending. We’ll provide you with a button to easily tweet your RSVP.

Tweet. A 140 character expression of whatever it is you want to say!

Retweet. This means re-sharing a tweet someone else wrote.

Hashtag. A keyword or phrase preceded by the # sign to mark it as a topic. Making a hashtag turns the word or phrase into a clickable link. Click on it to see all tweets containing that hashtag.

DM (Direct Message). A private message sent between two Twitter users. If you’re a winner, we’ll ask you to send us your information via DM!

Sponsor. This is the brand that’s making the party possible.

Trending topic. A side bar on the left of your Twitter home screen shows the most talked about topics among Twitter’s 218 million users. If enough people are tweeting throughout a party, the hashtag might trend nationwide! We love when this happens.

Where can I find parties to attend?

We’re always hosting parties. Find the latest Twitter parties here and stay tuned to @Smiley360 for new party announcements!